Fantasy Baseball: Top 10 Shortstops for 2019

Who are the top 10 shortstops to own in fantasy baseball for 2019?

We continue with our fantasy baseball rankings for 2019 by finishing up around the infield with our top 10 shortstops to own for 2019. If you have missed any of our previous rankings, including prospects and sleepers, you can find it right here. 

As with our other rankings, you can find their 2018 stats along with their 2019 Steamer projections to give you an idea of what kind of production you could expect if you select that player to your 2019 fantasy baseball roster.

We are in a golden age of shortstops, not only for fantasy baseball, but in baseball in general. Some of the biggest stars and best players in the game are playing shortstop right now. If you aren’t getting production from your shortstop on your fantasy roster, you’re really doing it wrong. There are plenty of options you can go with. Power. Speed. Both. You don’t necessarily have to spend a premium pick to get the sort of production you need out of the position either.

You may see some names that appeared on other lists,appear on this one. With all the defensive shifts employed in the game today, managers have changed who they use at shortstop, plus some of the injuries last season that gave other players shortstop eligibility for 2019. By midseason, you should see a top prospect or two come up and be options, plus some younger players trying to take that next step in their development and some players returning from injury.

So who are the top 10 shortstops to own for 2019? We’ll begin with a young player who got his chance to play every day towards the end of last season and displayed why he’d been a highly regarded prospect in his team’s system.

10. Adalberto Mondesi, Kansas City Royals

2018 stats: 75 games .276/.306/.498 14 homers 37 RBI 32 steals
2019 Steamer: 139 games .253/.292/.436 21 homers 71 RBI 41 steals

The 23-year-old Adalberto Mondesi made his major league debut in the 2015 World Series to help the Kansas City Royals win the title. Three seasons later, he finally got his shot as a full-time starter and showed off a power and speed combo that he didn’t necessarily display in the minor leagues.

He struck out in over 25% of his at-bats, and only had a 3% walk rate, but the hope is that more experience will help him be more patient at the plate. However, even in the minors, he didn’t draw a ton of walks, but not to the degree he showed last season.

Mondesi had been one of the top prospects in the Royals system and showed some of that ability last season. There is, of course, some risk here, relying on someone to hold down the position after just 75 games of production last year. However, I think if you’re looking for speed on your fantasy team this year, and want to spend some higher picks on other parts of your fantasy baseball roster, Mondesi may be the perfect shot for you to take at shortstop this year.

9. Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox

2018 stats: 136 games .288/.360/.522 23 homers 103 RBI
2019 Steamer: 143 games .286/.355/.465 19 homers 84 RBI

Xander Bogaerts rebounded from a down offensive 2017 to set career highs in homers, RBI, OBP and slugging. He also increased his walk rate while cutting down his strikeout rate.Now entering his age 26 season, and a contract year to boot, 2019 is going to be a big year for the Red Sox shortstop.

For a team with so many stars, Bogaerts seems to fly under the radar as one of the better shorstops in the game. A 20 homer bat with a good OBP could be very valuable asset for fantasy baseball in 2019. Since taking over as the Red Sox starting shortstop in 2014, he’s played in over 130 games every year of his career. You can count on him being in their day in and day out.

Over the past three years, Bogaerts ranks eighth in homers, second in runs, fourth in RBI and OBP, ninth in walk rate and WRC+, and fifth in batting average.

I expect Bogaerts to approximate what his output was in 2018. If that’s the case, that’s not a bad consolation prize is you miss out on some of the top guys at the position.

8. Corey Seager- Los Angeles Dodgers

2018 stats: 26 games .267/.348/.396 two homers 13 RBI
2019 Steamer: 140 games .284/.359/.478 23 homers 75 RBI

2018 is a season the 24-year-old Corey Seager would like to certainly forget. Tommy John surgery ended his season after 26 games and then, while recovering from that, needed hip surgery. The 24-year old should be ready to go in time for Opening Day, but it will be interesting to see how the Dodgers plan to bring him along during Spring Training. Keep an eye on that as you get closer to your fantasy baseball draft.

For the Dodgers, Seager seems to be a bit of a catalyst. If he’s hot, the Dodgers have a deep and talented offense. They really missed him, until they acquired Manny Machado last season (more on him later)

Over the past three seasons, Seager is 10th homers, second in average, first in OBP and WRC+ and fourth in slugging. When he his healthy, he is an elite offensive player, and not just among shortstops, but for any position on the field.

I’d expect Seager to get back to the levels of production he had during his first two full seasons as a major leaguer. He may get off to a slow start, but hang with him and you’ll be glad you had him as your shortstop for your 2019 fantasy baseball squad.

7. Javier Baez, Chicago Cubs

2018 stats: 160 games .290/.326/.554 34 homers 111 RBI
2019 Steamer: 147 games .269/.313/.488 29 homers 96 RBI

With the suspension of their usual starting shortstop Addison Russell, expect Javier Baez to get the majority of starts, at least for the start of 2019, at shortstop.

Going now into his age 26 season, Baez has officially taken his place among not only the game’s elite infielders, but also among the stars of the game.

Baez is someone you’re going to have to take pretty early in fantasy baseball drafts this season. If you can deal with the strikeouts, you’ll reap the rewards. He struck out a little over 25% of the time last year, but he just recorded his first 30 homer, 100 RBI season and it shouldn’t be his last either.

Over the past three seasons, Baez is fifth in homers, 10th in runs scored, fourth in RBI,  and third in slugging percentage and just outside the top 10 in steals and WRC+ among second baseman. Even as your third baseman, he’ll still provide excellent production there.

The former first-round pick is just entering his prime. He’s one of the most fun players to watch in the game today. Draft with confidence and enjoy the elite production and the eligibility all over the infield for your fantasy baseball team in 2019.

6. Trevor Story, Colorado Rockies

2018 season: 157 games .291/.348/.567 37 homers 108 RBI 27 steals
2019 Steamer: 142 games .271/.335/.515 30 homers 97 RBI 18 steals

The 26-year-old Trevor Story had a breakout season in 2018, showing he was more than just a power threat at shortstop. Story added speed to his game, falling three steals short of a 30/30 season. Story cut his strikeout rate by nine percent, and even though his walk rate dropped, that K rate drop is a better sign for Story moving forward.

Story set career highs in every offensive category except for OBP last year and is emerging as one of the best power threats at the shortstop position in all of baseball.

Over the past three seasons, only Manny Machado has hit more homers as a shortstop than Story. Story is ninth in runs, second in RBI, 10th in steals, and leads in slugging.

30 homers from your shortstop position in fantasy baseball is a pretty good thing to have. Having your starting shortstop play his home games at Coors Field is another nice thing to have as well. Look for the power and production out of Story to continue in 2019.

5. Carlos Correa- Houston Astros

2018 stats: 110 games .239/.323/.405 15 homers 65 RBI
2019 Steamer: 135 games .265/.352/.466 23 homers 83 RBI

The 24-year-old Carlos Correa is another example of a shortstop on this list coming back off of an injury. Correa battled through back injuries last year, which zapped a lot of his power and overall production in 2018. I feel like we are all waiting for that one monster season for him to put himself in the class of Mike Trout and Mookie Betts, and maybe this year is it.

Correa started doing yoga to help his flexibility and his back, and maybe that adjustment will help him stay healthy this year and reach that potential.

Over the past three seasons, Correa ranks sixth among shortstops in homers, 10th in runs, fifth in RBI, second in OBP and WRC+, and seventh in slugging.

I thought Correa was going to have a monster year last year. I was wrong. You know what? I’m doubling down. I think this year may be the year he’s talked about with the greats in the game today and in the AL MVP conversation. I also think at this time next year, the debate will be how high does Correa go in these rankings.

4. Trea Turner, Washington Nationals

2018 stats: 162 games .271/.344/.416 19 homers 73 RBI 43 steals
2019 Steamer: 146 games .287/.350/.447 17 homers 68 RBI 41 steals

Trea Turner seems to fall under the radar in terms of players to own in fantasy baseball, though after last season, he shouldn’t be. Turner set career highs in most offensive categories and stole over 40 bases for the second straight year. He also played in every single game last season for the first time.

Having a shortstop with 20 homer power and 40 steal ability is a really nice asset to have on your team, no matter what format you play in. The Nationals will have a slightly different looking lineup this year, but if Turner takes that next step in his development, it should take some pressure off some of the other players.

Over the past three seasons, Turner ranks fifth in runs, leads all shortstops with 122 steals, third in average, sixth in OBP, and eighth in WRC+.

Expect Turner to hit 20 homers and steal 40 bases and see increases in most of his counting stats. He’ll turn 26 in June, and I’d expect him to be one of the better players to have in fantasy in 2019.

3. Alex Bregman, Houston Astros

2018 stats: 157 games .286/.394/.532 31 homers 103 RBI
2019 Steamer: 148 games .279/.370/.495 26 homers 91 RBI

If he’s not one of the faces of Major League Baseball yet, the 24-year-old Alex Bregman soon will be as quite possibly the best offensive player on one of baseball’s top teams. Thanks to all of the injuries suffered by Carlos Correa in 2018, Bregman had to play more shortstop than expected and could be eligible at the position in 2019. That’s what puts him here.

Bregman broke out the power production in his second full season in the major leagues and became one of the best infielders in the game today.

Since coming up to the majors, Bregman is eighth in runs and OBP and slugging, fifth in steals and WRC+ among third baseman.

I think his projections are a little bit low, and I think Bregman should produce numbers close to if not exceeding his production from last season. He’s cut his strikeout rate in half since breaking into the majors and has doubled his walk rate all the while increasing his contact rates. If he does that, he could be a steal depending on where you draft him in 2019.

2. Manny Machado, San Diego Padres

2018 stats: 162 games .297/.367/.538 37 homers 107 RBI
2019 Steamer: 145 games .288/.356/.529 34 homers 99 RBI

One of our long national nightmares is over. Manny Machado got himself a brand spanking new free agent deal with the San Diego Padres, signing for 10 years and $300 million. Before the move, I had him two on my rankings, and even after, I’m keeping him here, even though he may not play the position very much for the Friars.

Machado is one of the elite run producers in the game and will be counted on to lead this group of talented young players in San Diego. He can also lead your fantasy baseball squad too. Machado posted his fourth straight 30+ homer season and driving in over 100 runs for the first time in his career. He was able to cut his K rate by a couple of percentage points while increasing his walk rate. By the way, he’s just 26 years old.

His 107 homers leads all shortstops over the past three seasons as does his 298 RBI. He’s tied for eighth in average, seventh in OBP, third in WRC+ and second in slugging.

Machado is going to be the guy in San Diego. I don’t think that should be a deterrent in terms of drafting him in fantasy baseball. Look for Machado to have another 30+ homer season with close to 100 RBI.